JP5216646B2 - Fuel cell vehicle body structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure of a fuel cell vehicle in which a stack for generating electricity by hydrogen and oxygen of fuel is mounted in a center tunnel and the vehicle width is further reduced.

In the fuel cell vehicle body structure, a fuel cell stack that generates electricity using hydrogen and oxygen as fuel is installed inside the center tunnel and mounted outside the passenger compartment, and between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. by arranging the fuel cell stack, there is protecting the fuel cell stack from the impact may be considered to be input to the vehicle front (e.g., Patent Document 1 see).

  However, in the prior art (Patent Document 1), in order to protect the fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack needs to be disposed between the driver seat and the passenger seat. As a result, the vehicle width of the fuel cell vehicle is reduced. There is a problem that it is difficult to mount a smaller fuel cell stack (hereinafter referred to as a stack).

JP 2007-15590 A

  The present invention reduces the size of a fuel cell vehicle, absorbs the impact of the stack when a load (impact) is input to the front of the vehicle, and suppresses the damage to the stack and the breakage of the floor panel. The issue is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a stack for generating electricity with hydrogen and oxygen in a center tunnel provided between a driver's seat and a passenger seat and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In the fuel cell vehicle body structure, the stack is arranged between the driver seat and the passenger seat to the dashboard lower facing the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the center tunnel is connected to the dashboard lower. A wide part that houses the stack is formed just before the driver's seat and the passenger's seat, and a tunnel width changing part is formed that is connected to the wide part and gradually reduces the width of the wide part. The tunnel width changing portion includes an impact absorbing portion that absorbs an impact as the stack side retreats due to a front collision.

  In the invention according to claim 1, the stack is disposed between the driver seat and the passenger seat to the dashboard lower facing the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the center tunnel is operated from the dashboard lower. Forms a wide part that houses the stack until just before the seat and passenger seat, and forms a tunnel width change part that is connected to the wide part and gradually decreases in width compared to the width of the wide part. The tunnel width changing part has a shock absorbing part that absorbs shock as the stack side retreats in the front collision, so by the narrow part of the center tunnel, The distance can be made smaller than the distance from the driver seat to the passenger seat when the stack is arranged between the driver seat and the passenger seat. Therefore, the vehicle width of the fuel cell vehicle, that is, the vehicle width can be reduced, and the vehicle can be reduced in size.

  Further, when a load (collision) is input to the front of the vehicle and the dashboard lower and the center tunnel are deformed and moved backward with respect to the vehicle, both the stacks in the center tunnel continue to move backward. As a result, the impact absorbing portion of the tunnel width changing portion of the center tunnel starts to be deformed, and the impact of the stack can be absorbed by the deformation of the impact absorbing portion.

  Furthermore, when the dashboard lower, the center tunnel, and the stack continue to move backward, the center tunnel starts to be deformed starting from the shock absorbing portion of the tunnel width changing portion. As a result, the deformed portion of the center tunnel does not interfere with the stack, and damage to the stack can be prevented.

  In addition, starting from the shock absorbing portion of the tunnel width changing portion, the center tunnel starts to deform and promotes deformation of the floor panel. Therefore, the breakage of the floor panel can be suppressed.

It is a side view which shows the outline | summary of the vehicle body structure of the fuel cell vehicle which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a top view which shows the outline | summary of the vehicle body structure of the fuel cell vehicle which concerns on the Example of this invention. 1 is a perspective view of a center tunnel and a dashboard panel provided in a vehicle body structure of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment. It is a top view which shows the relationship between the stack with which the vehicle body structure of the fuel cell vehicle which concerns on an Example is equipped, and a center sub-frame. 1 is a perspective view of a stack and a frame frame included in a vehicle body structure of a fuel cell vehicle according to an embodiment. It is a side view of the center tunnel which concerns on an Example. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6. It is a figure explaining the mechanism which absorbs the impact to the stack of the body structure of the fuel cell vehicle concerning an example. It is a mimetic diagram explaining the mechanism which controls the interference to the stack of the body structure concerning an example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11 according to the embodiment is configured such that electricity is generated by hydrogen and oxygen in a center tunnel 15 provided between a driver seat 13 and a passenger seat 14. The stack 16 to be generated is arranged in front of the driver seat 13 and the passenger seat 14 to reduce the vehicle width. This will be specifically described below.

  The fuel cell vehicle 11 includes a passenger compartment 21, an underbody 22 that forms the floor of the passenger compartment 21, a driver seat 13 fixed to the underbody 22, a passenger seat 14, and hydrogen for the rear portion of the underbody 22. A high-pressure tank 23, a central subframe 24 attached to the underbody 22 from below, a front body 26, a front subframe 28 attached to the front side frame 27 of the front body 26 from below, and a front body 26; A dashboard panel 31 included in the underbody 22, a side body 32, a front wheel 33, and a steering device 34 for steering the front wheel 33.

  The fuel cell vehicle 11 is also used for driving a heat exchanger 36 disposed in the front body 26 and included in the cooling system, and a front wheel 33 disposed between the front wheel 33 and the dashboard panel 31 in the front body 26. An electric motor 37; and a steering gear box 38 disposed between the electric motor 37 and the dashboard panel 31 and included in the steering device 34. The steering gear box 38 and the electric motor 37 are mounted on the front subframe 28. The stack 16 and the stack auxiliary device 41 are mounted on the central subframe 24 and include the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11.

Next, the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11 will be mainly described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11 includes hydrogen and oxygen in a center tunnel 15 provided between a driver seat 13 and a passenger seat 14 and extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The stack 16 for generating electricity is disposed, and the stack 16 is disposed between the driver seat 13 and the passenger seat 14 to the dashboard lower 55 facing the driver seat 13 and the passenger seat 14. Yes.
The center tunnel 15 forms a wide portion 48 that houses the stack 16 from the dashboard lower 55 to immediately before the driver's seat 13 and the passenger seat 14, and is connected to the wide portion 48 to be wider than the width of the wide portion 48. The tunnel width changing portion 52 is gradually reduced, and the narrow width portion 47 is extended to the rear of the vehicle continuously to the tunnel width changing portion 52. The tunnel width changing portion 52 is the front side of the stack 16, that is, the frame frame body. It has an impact absorbing portion 61 that absorbs an impact as 45 moves backward.
“Front collision” means that the front of the vehicle contacts (impacts) the obstacle S.

The driver's seat 13 can be moved forward to the forward limit position E by the slide device 54 attached to the underbody 22.
The slide device 54 has an existing configuration, and operations and mechanisms are omitted.
The passenger seat 14 is substantially the same as the driver seat 13 and can be moved to the forward limit position E.

  As described above, the center tunnel 15 is connected to the floor panel 51 of the underbody 22 and forms the front edge of the wide portion 48 at the dashboard lower 55 of the dashboard panel 31 as shown in FIGS. The part 56 is joined. The dashboard lower 55 has no arch-shaped cutout in the center where the center tunnel 15 is located, that is, the extension 57 is integrally formed in the center to seal the tunnel front opening 56.

  The wide part 48 is larger than the width of the frame frame body 45 when the vehicle width direction is defined as the width, and a desired small gap is provided between the wide part 48 and the frame frame body 45.

The narrow part 47 is formed between the driver's seat 13 and the passenger seat 14 with a smaller width than the wide part 48, and extends just before the rear seat 64.
The tunnel width changing portion 52 is formed along the corners of the driver seat 13 and the passenger seat 14 at the forward limit position E, and gradually decreases at an inclination angle α (FIG. 2) with respect to the longitudinal direction of the stack 16. I am letting. In other words, the narrow portion 47 is gradually increased at an inclination angle α (FIG. 2).

  The frame frame 45 has the base frame 66 shown in FIG. 5 formed in a cross-beam shape, and a first frame body 68 is formed along the corner of the stack 16 at the front portion 67 of the base frame 66, and the rear portion of the base frame 66 A second frame main body 72 is formed near the stack auxiliary device 41 at 71, and an end panel 44 is provided at the first frame main body 68.

  The second frame main body 72 is narrower than the width of the first frame main body 68 and is joined to the first frame main body 68 via the first frame width changing portion 74, and the second frame width changing portion is connected to the base frame 66. 75 is joined.

  The end panel 44 is disposed in the vicinity of the dashboard lower 55 and is provided in the vicinity of the front surface of the stack 16 and is larger than the front surface 77 of the stack 16. In other words, the strength of the plate 16 is increased by the plate that partitions the front surface 77 of the stack 16 and the dashboard lower 55.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the shock absorbing portion 61 is formed in a concavo-convex shape in plan view (viewpoint in FIG. 7). Specifically, a plurality of bead portions 87 are formed in the first range 86 where the central portion (narrow portion 47) is desired to bulge and deform, and the bead portion is located in the second range 88 where the tunnel width changing portion 52 is desired to be bulged and deformed. One bead portion 87 is provided in parallel with the ridgeline of the valley fold portion 92 on one side of the valley fold portion 92 in which a plurality of 91 is formed and forms the boundary between the first range 86 and the second range 88. In addition, one bead portion 91 is provided on the other side of the valley bent portion 92 in parallel along the ridge line of the valley bent portion 92. That is, the bead portions 87 and 91 are formed on both sides of the valley bent portion 92.

Next, the operation of the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11, as shown in FIG. 2, since the narrow portion 47 of the center tunnel 15 is provided between the driver seat 13 and the passenger seat 14, the driver seat 13 and the passenger seat are provided. The distance can be made smaller than the distance from the driver's seat 13 to the passenger seat 14 when the stack 16 is disposed between the seats 14. Therefore, the vehicle width of the fuel cell vehicle 11, that is, the width of the vehicle can be reduced, and the vehicle can be reduced in size.

  Next, the impact absorbing mechanism of the vehicle body structure 12 of the fuel cell vehicle 11 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows the left side of the center tunnel 15, FIG. 8A shows a state where an impact starts to be input to the impact absorbing portion 61 due to a forward collision, and FIG. 8B absorbs the impact by the impact absorbing portion 61. Indicates the state.

  In the fuel cell vehicle 11, when the front of the vehicle contacts (impacts) the obstacle S and the dashboard panel 31 is deformed, the dashboard panel 31 inputs a load (impact) to the center tunnel 15 and the frame body 45. The input frame body 45 moves to the rear of the vehicle as indicated by an arrow a1 while maintaining the shape, and comes into contact with the tunnel width changing portion 52 of the center tunnel 15 in FIG. 8A, so that the tunnel width changing portion 52 ( The impact absorbing portion 61) is deformed to absorb the impact of the frame body 45, that is, the impact of the stack 16.

  Further, when the stack 16 (frame frame 45) is retracted, the tunnel width changing portion 52 (impact absorbing portion 61) is used as a starting point to deform the center tunnel 15, so that the center tunnel 15 is not deformed toward the stack 16. The damage of the stack 16 due to the interference between the center tunnel 15 and the stack 16 can be prevented.

  Further, when the stack 16 (frame frame 45) is retracted, the tunnel width changing portion 52 (impact absorbing portion 61) is used as a starting point to deform the center tunnel 15, so that the deformation of the floor panel 51 can be promoted. Breakage of the floor panel 51 can be suppressed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, when a load is input to the front of the vehicle and the front body 26 starts to deform, the front subframe 28 supported on the front side frame 27 of the front body 26 is moved. The front subframe 28 moves backward toward the rear of the vehicle together with the devices in the front body 26 such as the mounted electric motor 37 and the steering gear box 38 while absorbing the impact by deformation. Then, when devices such as the electric motor 37 reach the dashboard panel 31 (including the dashboard lower 55) and deform the dashboard panel 31 (including the dashboard lower 55) toward the inside of the vehicle compartment 21, The dashboard panel 31 (including the dashboard lower 55) inputs a load to the center tunnel 15 and the frame body 45. That is, the frame body 45 is pushed. The frame body 45 moves in the center tunnel 15 toward the rear of the vehicle while maintaining its shape, and the first frame width changing portion 74 (FIG. 8A) of the frame frame 45 is changed to the tunnel width changing portion 52. Begin to push as shown by arrow a3.

When the tunnel width changing portion 52 is pushed outward from the inside of the center tunnel 15, that is, when the shock absorbing portion 61 is pushed outward, the bead portions 87 and 91 on both sides of the valley bent portion 92 are started. The valley bending portion 92 is pushed out by being deformed, and the bead portions 87 and 91 are extended, whereby the impact absorbing portion 61 is deformed to absorb the impact of the frame body 45.
Further, since the impact absorbing portion 61 moves backward as indicated by an arrow a4, the impact of the frame frame body 45 is absorbed. Breakage of the panel 51 can be prevented.

  In addition, although the vehicle body structure of the fuel cell vehicle of the present invention is used in the fuel cell vehicle in the embodiment, it can be applied to other than the fuel cell vehicle.

  The vehicle body structure of the fuel cell vehicle of the present invention is suitable for a small fuel cell vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Fuel cell vehicle, 12 ... Body structure, 13 ... Driver's seat, 14 ... Passenger seat, 15 ... Center tunnel, 16 ... Stack, 47 ... Narrow part, 48 ... Wide part, 52 ... Tunnel width change part, 55 ... Dashboard lower, 61 ... Shock absorber.

Claims (1)

In the body structure of a fuel cell vehicle in which a stack for generating electricity with hydrogen and oxygen is arranged in a center tunnel provided between a driver seat and a passenger seat and extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction,
The stack is disposed between the driver seat and the passenger seat to a dashboard lower facing the driver seat and the passenger seat;
The center tunnel forms a wide portion that accommodates the stack from the dashboard lower to immediately before the driver seat and the passenger seat, and is connected to the wide portion so as to be wider than the width of the wide portion. A gradually changing tunnel width changing portion is formed, and the narrow width portion is extended to the rear of the vehicle continuously to the tunnel width changing portion.
The vehicle body structure of a fuel cell vehicle, wherein the tunnel width changing portion has an impact absorbing portion that absorbs an impact as the stack side moves backward due to a front collision.

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